Marketing

JESSICA SLENDAK Marketing Director jslendak@clpoc.org

Marketing Associate Lindsay Halcomb lhalcomb@clpoc.org Assistant Webmaster Lee Ann McCormick canadianlakes.org

GET SOCIAL WITH CANADIAN LAKES

canadianlakes.org members.canadianlakes.org

twitter.com/canadian_lakes

facebook.com/campcanadianlakes facebook.com/canadianlakes facebook.com/castleincanadianlakes facebook.com/royalgrille facebook.com/theroyalcanadianlakes facebook.com/thehighlandscanadianlakes facebook.com/thepinescanadianlakes

Instagram: canadianlakes_mi

Ioften wonder how many people read The Canadian Laker. I do think our readership has increased more over the last year or so based on the increase in comments I have received. We have run out of issues here at the office sooner, too. Still, out of 4,000-some members, in the June meeting I heard that communication is not good enough. The Member Bulletin is emailed to more than 3,000 members each Monday and Thursday. The members website, www.members. canadianlakes.org, is filled with all departmental and Board information and recent news. I maintain eight Facebook pages, an Instagram and Twitter page with information; and we have a YouTube Channel and Google-plus account. The Board meets twice a month, and both meetings are broadcast on the members website—yet it’s still not good enough. I do admit, besides Facebook, our social media is less than stellar. Lack of staff is the culprit here. Lindsay Halcomb, marketing associate, has recently stepped away from her full-time position and is responsible solely for The Canadian Laker and some email marketing initiatives, moving some social media to the back seat on the priority list until a full-time associate comes back on the marketing team.

The Canadian Laker is sent to all members, either in digital form or in their mailboxes, and requires no effort on their part. Members have to register for a profile on the members website. They have to have a Facebook page or be on Instagram to see our social posts. A member has to sign up to receive the Member Bulletin, so the horse has to drink the water I lead them to, in some cases. To hear communication is not good enough fuels me to write again urging members to use the members website. There are 3,509 activated profiles on the website; however, I’m not able to tell how many of those profiles are actually active users. A newsfeed on the site is separated by departments and provides recent news and updates. Under the administrative tab, departmental contact information is given so you can connect with department heads to get your questions answered. Under the governing tab, all the Board and committee information is listed; and you can watch all the meetings here, too. Documents and forms can be found here, along with Board meeting minutes and financials. Familiarize yourself with the members website, because all the information is there.

Another great way to get information is to attend meetings! The Board meets twice a month. Workshops are held the second Wednesday and regular meetings are held the fourth Saturday. If you can’t make it in person, both can be viewed—you guessed it— on the members website! Getting involved is the best way to get informed.

Speaking of getting involved, nominations are now open for the Board. Consider volunteering and running for the CLPOC Board of Directors. This publication has a lot of information about how to go about that. You can also send an email to clpocnominating@gmail.com to get the full scoop. There’s no better way to see how the corporation really works than by becoming a Board director.

Completely switching gears, I’m excited to tell you that Canadian Lakes Landing still shows bright blue at LMCU (formerly Fifth Third) Ballpark this ball season. Due to COVID-19, the new advertiser was not able to fulfill its commitment as the new partner after our commitment had expired. Instead of the space remaining empty, the ballpark kept our signage intact and continued advertising the space as Canadian Lakes Landing. Open air events are extremely sought-after, so the space is completely booked for the 2021 season. All this exposure is not costing us a thing. Our partnership with the franchise has proved to be very beneficial to our marketing plan. I am very grateful to the Whitecaps!